NOTE: – THIS IS ONE OF TWO POSTS WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS.

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It is the last collection of submissions for the month of October, so it is a good time to revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ. I’ve noticed an uptick in small-sized submissions lately. It wouldn’t hurt to review the resolution FAQ if you haven’t looked at it lately.

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 10 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
NO.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload. This limit is tentatively scheduled to go down to 2 at the beginning of 2024. Unless there is a sudden big falloff in participants.

If you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough for me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their widest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

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FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! Many of us are very passionate about our Iowa State Cyclones or whatever team you mistakenly root for. But was there enough passion to make FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM a popular submission? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 22, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Adam Gordon – 1 week (3)
2-Harrison Gorshe – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
4-Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
5-Mary Green – 2 weeks (3)
6-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
7-Alexis Stensland – 2 weeks (2)
8-Elainie Hernandez – 4 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 9 weeks
10-Sabas Hernandez – 10 weeks
11-Willy McAlpine – 10 weeks
12-Mike Vest – 16 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 19 weeks (2)
14-Monica Jennings – 20 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 20 weeks (2)
16-Nathanial Brown – 21 weeks
17-Jesse Howard – 21 weeks
18-Tamara Peterson – 24 weeks
19-Mindi Terrell – 36 weeks (3)
20-Brandon Kahler – 60 weeks
21-Linda Bennett – 65 weeks (2)
22-Sarah Toot – 66 weeks (2)
23-Angie DeWaard – 70 weeks (2)
24-Dawn Krause – 74 weeks (2)
25-Kim Barker – 80 weeks
26-Joe Duff – 81 weeks
27-Teresa Kahler – 92 weeks (3)
28-Carla Stensland – 92 weeks
29-Micky Augustin – 94 weeks
30-Andy Sharp – 95 weeks
31-Bill Wentworth – 96 weeks
32-Cathie Morton – 100 weeks
33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 101 weeks
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 103 weeks
35-Kio Dettman – 105 weeks (3)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 71 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 97 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico) – 104 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Valencia, Spain) – 11 weeks

Amy Peterson (Iowa) – 1 week

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 82 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 106 weeks

Linda Bennett (Pennsylvania) – 66 weeks

Linda Bennett (Pennsylvania)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 67 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Florida) – 22 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 93 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Norfolk, Nebraska) – 22 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 101 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 96 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 102 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa)

30 participants this week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Mexico
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Alto del Perdon – Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France
+ Vienna, Austria
+ Munich, Germany
+ Rome, Italy
+ Cannes, France
+ Koper, Slovenia

There were no major milestones this week. But there were a ton of streaks broken. Adam, Harrison, Jen, Evie, Sara, Elainie, and Monica all had their streaks broken.

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

SIGNS

SIGNS! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a SIGNS image? It is simply an image of a SIGN(S) or a singular SIGN. That is all there is to it.

While considering possible subjects for your SIGNS submissions meditate on the great songs about SIGNS and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

Signs Signs
Everywhere there’s signs
Messing up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don’t do that
Can’t you read the sign

Oh Say now mister Can’t you read
You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can’t watch No You can’t eat You ain’t supposed to be here

And the sign says “You got to have a membership card to get inside” Huh
And the sign says “Everybody welcome Come in Kneel down and pray”
But then they passed around a plate at the end of it all
And I didn’t have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own sign
I said Thank you Lord for thinking about me I’m alive and doing fine

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SIGNS in this place that tries to read them next Monday.